Dreams
by Annihilator Zero
Summary: Who ever said that saving the world was anywhere near as dramatic as school? The everyday and not-so-everyday adventures of Gold... and everybody else. Chess/Mangaquest/Special/Oldrival/Frantic/Whatever else I decide.
1. Chapter 1

**Dreams**

Hello there ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for actually clicking on what can only be described as _the _most clichéd plot in FanFiction history, a school AU. In all honesty the school will play very little part in it, it's there because the characters are teenagers in the real world, so obviously they'd be in school, and it works as a useful way to have all of the characters meeting each other regularly. One thing you'll have to all bear with is that I'm using a British school for this, because I _am_ British, and I'm not learning how an American school system works just for the sake of a fan fic. However, I'll include a "translation guide" just so things make sense. Don't bother reading the next paragraph if you're familiar with the British schooling system

In the English schooling system, there are two tiers of schooling. First is Primary school, which lasts six years and encompasses the ages 5-11 (4-11 in Northern Ireland). P2 would be equivalent to first grade in an American system, while P6 would be equivalent to fifth grade. Secondly, there is Secondary school (sometimes called Grammar or High School), which lasts seven years and encompasses the ages 11-18. First year is equivalent to sixth grade, and seventh year is equivalent to twelfth grade. GCSEs are taken in fifth year, and most students will take nine or ten GCSEs. In sixth year, students will sit their AS levels, which largely act as preparation for the A levels that will be taken in seventh year. Most students will choose four subjects to do for AS level, and then some will drop one subject for A level, leaving them three, while some will continue on with all four. Most British universities only require three A levels, but students with the ability to take four generally do so to improve their chances, and to compensate in case they mess up one subject. It is uncommon, but not unheard of for students to take more than four AS/A levels, I myself took five.

With that out of the way, onto the actual story. The label of Black/White on this fic does not mean that either is the main character, both are major characters and as such their relationship is probably the most major that this story will explore. The main character is probably Silver, but there should be a lot of focus on the sort of group dynamic that a school environment inspires. That said, Silver, Gold and Black will probably be the central characters. I'm aware the first chapter is mostly those three, but future ones should have a more rounded focus.

All surnames are Japanese translations of the characters' first names, with the exception of characters who already have names in the series (like Green Oak).

Sadly, I don't own Pokemon, Pokemon Adventures or pretty much anything else aside from a laptop and a guitar.

-x-x-

"Bye Mom, thanks for the lift!" And with that, Gold Kane stepped out of the car and off into another all-conquering crusade of the battleground that future generations would call 'The Place Where It All Began.' Or in layman's terms, school, but whatever works.

He did a quick scan of the slightly damp grounds outside the school, rain being an ever present curse in Viridian in September, and, like little flashes highlighted on a screen, two faces stood out. Well, in Gold's eyes it would be more accurate to say one face and one spectacular set of legs, but Crystal really did get annoyed when he called her that. In fact, Crystal got annoyed when he did pretty much anything, so it was probably a safer option to go talk to Black first.

"Hey Black, how's things man?" Not the greatest of rallying cries, but Gold had always left the eloquent stuff to Silver. Speaking of which, where the hell was he. "Is Silver in yet?"

Black turned around to the (slightly) older boy with a smile, unconsciously moving over slightly to give Gold a space in the small group that he had accumulated, "Hey Gold, yeah he got in about ten minutes ago, but he just headed straight inside."

Gold shrugged, "I'll see him in registration anyway. So, how was your weekend? And before you ask, yes, _o__f course_ mine was more epic, but I'll let you have the first word."

Black laughed at his friend's antics, and said, "Pretty good, hung out with the lovely Miss Shiro over here," he extravagantly indicated one of the girls in the group, "And co," he indicated the other two, a bashfully smiling blonde girl and a glowering boy with glasses, "On Saturday."

"You're too kind," 'Miss Shiro' responded, giggling slightly, "Pity the film sucked. I mean the actors were great but they just didn't fit the roles at all, it was like the director just picked a storyline and some big names and slammed them together…"

White continued on her critique of the film, while Gold leaned over and whispered to Black, "I thought you were the obsessive one?"

Black nodded with a grin, but followed White's rant, offering a couple of 'uh-huh's and 'yeah's as appropriate, before the spectacled boy sighed, "Honestly White, you would have thought that you of all people would pick a film that you'd enjoy."

White stopped short, "Well the plot seemed interesting from the previews and the actors are all good, but-"

"And now you know how movie companies make money," he interrupted, with a small laugh.

White paused briefly, "Stop being cynical about my hobby Cheren!" She complained with a friendly tone, and the boy laughed again.

There was a momentary lapse in conversation, and Black took his opportunity, "Excuse me, I'll just be one second," he began, taking a step away from the group.

"Oh God here it comes," Cheren had time to say, his hands rushing to cover his ears before-

"I'M NOT GONNA GET A DETENTION TODAY!" Black yelled across the grounds, echoing faintly as every conversation was briefly interrupted, then recommenced, amid dark mutterings of "Every goddamn morning, seriously."

Gold laughed, "Good plan, how'd you get one yesterday? Steal a library book on travelling or something?"

Black looked defensive, "Honestly, how was I supposed to know that you're not allowed to install games on the school computers?"

The group laughed as one, and Gold commented, "The real crime here is that you didn't tell me you'd got a game running on the school computers. I feel betrayed."

"I only brought one controller," Black said with a laugh. "Besides, I already vowed never to play you at Halo again."

Gold ratcheted up the hurt look on his face, "You were playing Halo in school and didn't tell me?"

"Nerds," White faux-whispered loudly, causing Gold to laugh and Black to stop, sentence half-formed in his mouth, and flush slightly.

The conversation would have soon been over anyway, as Bianca unknowingly spoke the Words of Doom: "Oh, hey Crystal!"

"Hey all!" Crystal replied, having been walking past the group while chatting with an older girl who Gold would forever refer to as 'That Chick Red Likes.' Anyone else would have used that nickname away from the subjects, but Gold revelled in referring to her as such in Red's company, mainly because Red was way too cool to _actually_ hit him for it.

"Hey Crystal, and the Chick That Red Likes," Gold said, flashing his trademark cheeky smile. Now that was a much better rallying cry. The girl in question blushed, while Crystal flashed her trademark reaction to anything Gold did. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a smile, "Gold, shut up. And please stop calling Yellow that."

Bianca and Yellow both opened their mouths to speak, but were interrupted by, surprise surprise, Gold, "Not even gonna ask me how my weekend was?"

"You hung out with your ginger boyfriend and failed at chatting up every girl you met?" Crystal guessed. The rest of the group laughed, and White made a catlike gesture and hiss, the implication clear. Bianca had realised that there was little to no chance of her getting to chat to her friend, and joined in the laughter.

Gold chuckled, "I'm sorry, no matter how hot you may find the idea of me with another guy, it's not happening."

The group laughed again, and Crystal sighed deeply, "Shut up, Gold. See you around Bianca, and everyone else not named Gold," and with a cheery wave, she and Yellow departed, just as the bell rang.

Another foe, conquered by the mighty Gold. "OK, adios all," Gold said with a quick wave, knowing that the other four were in the same registration group, "See any of you at break?"

"Sorry man, got choir," Black responded, while the others nodded or shrugged vaguely.

Gold looked momentarily surprised, "You do choir?"

"Um, yeah?" Black responded.

Gold looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned his attention back to the conversation, "Anyway, see you all around!" And with that, he walked off to class.

-x-x-

"Silver, two things. First, where the hell were you? Second, I've had an idea."

"Mr Kane, please at least wait until you've taken your seat before swearing across the classroom," Came the exasperated voice of Roxanne, the young Geography teacher.

Gold briefly apologised, before rushing to his seat, "Well?" He asked, his voice blending in with the chatter of students in the rest of the class.

"Practicing," Silver said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Trying to learn this Dream Theater song-"

"I am not learning any of their songs, so stop _right_ there," Gold said with a knowing smile. Some things, not even Gold could conquer. "You could have practiced last night, you missed me _totally_ owning Crystal just there."

"I'm sure I'll catch one of the twenty repeats later," Silver said, rolling his eyes, "And I was busy last night."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I swear she was blushing," Gold said with a conspiratorial grin.

Silver gave his friend a sidelong glance, "Are you sure we're watching the same show here?"

Gold once again released the look of fake injury, "How could you say such things? Don't answer that. Anyway, my idea. You know that new kid Black? About our height, dark hair-"

"The shouting one?" Silver finished.

"Yeah him, apparently he goes to choir. And I think we all know how powerful his voice is," Silver laughed briefly at that, "So I reckon he'd be pretty good lead vocalist material, what do you think."

Silver paused momentarily, "Gold, did you just have a good idea? When was the last time that happened?"

Gold grinned, "I don't think anyone can remember."

The conversation paused briefly for the two to call their names out for the register.

"So, shall I invite him round to mine this afternoon?" Gold asked.

"I'd really watch my wording if I were you," Silver said with a dark smile.

"Shut up, Silver."

"And now you're using your girlfriend's pet term for you on me. I do wonder about you sometimes…"

"Shut_ up,_ Silver."

The redhead smiled evilly as the bell went, "English now. Please remember that Crystal's legs are in no way related to Shakespeare no matter how much you look at them."

"_Shut up, Silver._"

-x-x-

"Hey Black!"

For the second time that day, Black turned around to greet Gold. This time however, Silver was trailing behind Gold and White was nowhere to be seen, as the three had just left their last class before lunch. "Hey Gold," Black said, slowing down to fall into step with the others, "So how did you find Crystal's Legs? Or, as the rest of us call it, Maths."

"Everyone's a comedian," Gold replied, once again reusing the injured look. Reusing the same jokes for embarrassment was _his_ thing, people needed to stop doing it to _him_. "Seriously though; I have a proposition for you."

Black looked quizzical, as Gold asked, "What kind of music do you like?"

"Um, anything really…" Black responded, looking confused.

"OK, I'll be more specific, do you like rock?"

"Uh, yeah…?"

"Right, great. You're coming to my house this afternoon, OK?"

Black still looked confused, "I'd kinda planned to look up how to travel to North Korea this afternoon, so please explain?"

Silver rolled his eyes from the sidelines, as Gold raised his arm extravagantly, attracting brief stares from the other students milling towards the canteen, "I'm offering you the once in a lifetime opportunity to come and jam with me and Silver! Or sing, in your case."

Black looked curious, but still confused, "Is this because I'm in the choir?"

"Yeah! I figure you must have a good singing voice to be in the choir, and I know you have a really powerful voice because of all that screaming, so you'll make a good rock singer, right?" Gold said, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Black looked thoughtful, "Never thought about it like that, yeah I guess that could work. Anything you wanna try out?"

"Great!" Gold shouted, accidentally backing into a group of first years in his revelry, "Oops, sorry. Anyway, do you know any AC/DC? That's an easy enough one to start off on."

"Don't you even think of making a Back in Black joke," Black said with a glare. "Yeah I know Shook Me All Night Long, sound good?"

"Awesome! I'll see you after school then we can head round to my place to try it out!" Gold said with a massive smile on his face, as the trio entered the canteen. Another victory for the mighty Go-

"You _really_ need to watch your wording."

"_Shut up, Silver!_"

-x-x-

"I do believe," Said a voice within the canteen, layered with honey and evil, "That someone is getting irritated with my dear brother once again."

"He's learned his craft from a master," Said another, drier voice, a voice that rested permanently on the edge of irritation.

"Oh shush, Green," said the female voice, "We all know you love me really." More honey, more undercurrents of evil.

Green stayed silent, and his friend chimed in, "Everybody loves you Blue, as you're so fond of telling us."

Blue sounded shocked, with some of Gold's fake injury mixed in by a true master, "Red, since when do you make sarcastic jibes?"

"Red can't be sarcastic, he's the good guy!" Gold shouted, sitting down next to the older trio, with Silver and Black in tow. "I don't think you've been introduced. Guys, this is Black, or, as you probably know him, the shouting guy." Black laughed, and waved hello, sitting down next to Gold. "Black, this is Green, the smartest person in the school, and the man who invented being annoyed."

Green rolled his eyes and continued to eat.

"This is Blue, Silver's sister, and the woman who necessitated that invention."

"That's a rather big word for you Gold," She turned to her brother, "Have you been teaching him tricks?"

Silver laughed while Gold looked embarrassed, "And lastly," He quickly changed the topic, "This is Red, a genuine hero." Everyone at the table except Red laughed, even Green smirked slightly. "Captain of every sports team he's in, friendliest guy you'll ever meet and saved a girl's life when he was eleven. Like I said, all around hero."

"How many times have you introduced me like that?" Red asked, while leaning across the table to shake Black's hand.

"Twelve."

"Do you have to include the saving a girl's life bit?"

"Of course he does!" Blue said, with a sickeningly sweet smile, "You're the hero and that's what heroes do, right?"

Red sighed, he'd given up asking them not to do that a long time ago.

"So, Red-"

"Do I detect the words 'That Chick You Like' heading towards this conversation?' Silver asked with a mocking tone.

"You know me too well," Gold said flamboyantly, "So, where is she?"

"Probably down by the river as usual," Red responded.

"Oh, so you know where she usually goes for lunch?" Gold said with a horrible attempt at a knowing smile.

"Do we have to go through this every lunch time?" Green asked, his annoyance clear in his voice, "Have you just run out of jokes or something?"

Gold looked offended and Blue chipped in, "Matchmaking is my job anyway, you're just ruining it with your messiness." She looked up from the table, "Speaking of matchmaking…" she said with a singsong voice that was layered so deep with evil that it could make a lawyer shudder. "Hi, Crystal! How was your weekend?"

If Gold was trying not to let the horror show on his face, he was failing horribly, although the same could be said for Blue's amused (or sadistic, depending on how charitable you were feeling) look. Crystal smiled at the older girl, "Pretty good, thanks. And for the reference, Gold, _that_ is how you broach a topic about your weekend, not by just telling me to ask you."

"I was just trying to be polite and let you in on some of the unadulterated epicness that is my life, but you just cruelly brushed me aside," The injured look had returned once more.

Blue turned and stage-whispered to Green, "I would tell those two to just shut up and kiss already, but the sexual tension is just too funny."

Green rolled his eyes, Crystal blushed bright red, and Gold just laughed. Crystal turned her face away from Gold and stammered out an address to the rest of the group, "Um, I think I see Bianca over there, goodbye…" And with that, she departed.

There was a momentary silence, before Gold (who else) broke it, "She _so_ wants me."

-x-x-

"Well that was incredible!" Gold shouted, collapsing sideways off his drum stool.

Silver smiled viciously, rolling off the volume on his guitar, "Something tells me that's not the first time you've said that to a group of guys, in a basement, while you're topless, lying on the floor, and out of breath."

"_Seriously Silver shut up_."

"That was pretty good though," Silver said, looking pleased.

Black laughed, switching off the microphone Gold had lent to him, "That was awesome guys! I never knew you two were this good."

Gold finished standing up and bowed extravagantly, putting his shirt back on as he spoke, "Why thank you. Anyway, I think we can definitely concur that this works."

Silver looked thoughtful for a moment, "Black, can you play any instruments?"

"I can sort of play guitar but I'm not great…" Black responded.

"Wanna try playing bass? Silver can teach you some stuff if you want," Gold interrupted, excitement in his voice.

"Yeah," Black said, smiling brightly, "I could try that. And that would mean…"

"We have a whole band," Silver cut in, with a genuine, non-sarcastic smile on his face.

Gold had a look on his face that said ten years' worth of Christmases and birthdays had just come early. "Right!" He said, uncharacteristically loud, even for him. "Let's get this man some essentials!" He picked up a large guitar case from the side of the room, "There's a really crap bass for you, should be good enough to learn. I don't even remember how we got that thing."

Black laughed, "I shall cherish this precious gift!"

"I'm sorry, the snarky one-liners using big words thing has already been taken by Silver," Gold responded with a grin, "Now, let's get you some Jamming with Gold and Silver 101." He quickly sifted through a pile of CDs that had been stacked on a CD player in the corner of the basement, "Here we go!" He handed Black a small stack of Metallica and Iron Maiden CDs, "Listen to these, let us know what songs you like, sound good?"

Black looked slightly overwhelmed, but grinned, "Yeah sure! Anyway, I probably have to go now, need to do Geography homework. Studying for The Dream!"

The other two nodded, you couldn't get in the way of The Dream. Black claimed his shouting habit, that the school was having such a lovely time adjusting to, had been learned from shouting his Dream very loudly out of his bedroom window every morning since he was seven years old.

After packing up, the trio made their way to the exit of Gold's house. Although this is a rather unfair trivialisation of a rather arduous task, as Gold's house, or mansion, to give it it's proper title, could be charitably called 'labyrinthine,' and uncharitably called 'a bloody confusing mess.' They chatted all the way about how awesome their new band would be, and even Silver seemed excited, for possibly the first time in living memory.

"Do you want a lift back to your place?" Gold asked, as they finally reached the front door. Black quickly shook his head, "Nah I'll be OK. A bit of fresh, chemically enhanced Viridian air will do me good," He said with a cheeky smile. "Seriously though, I'll walk, it's not that far."

"Suit yourself," Gold said with a shrug, and Black and Silver both moved to walk off. "Hey!" Gold called, "Where do you think _you're_ going, ginger boy?"

"Home, Gold," Silver responded drily, "To study. You know, that thing that everybody else does."

Gold sighed, "I guess I'll have to be awesome on my own. Oh well," With an exaggerated sigh he turned back towards the main doors, "See you all tomorrow!"

-x-x-

Before anybody gets worried that this fic will just be me doing a massive self-insert with the whole band thing and Gold and Silver's music tastes, it won't be. The band will be important to the general plot, but more about the general drama surrounding the members, and the aftermath of their performances provides a good way to link up all the characters in a more casual environment.

So rest assured I'm not just going to go on about how awesome they play and the music they play because that would get _really boring, really fast_. I only included the AC/DC, Metallica and Iron Maiden references in this chapter because they'd have to have an audition song, and I wanted to use the "Jamming with Gold and Silver 101" line.

Anyway, thanks everybody for reading. Please, please, please critique the characterisation if you think it was off, because some of them are so hard to get right in a non-dramatic context. Seriously, in the actual manga there are pretty much no situations where Silver isn't being surrounded by drama and stuff, so I have no idea how he's supposed to act when he's just hanging out with his few friends. I figured being evilly sarcastic to Gold would be the most likely way for him to act, so that's how I'm writing him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Thanks to everybody who read and/or reviewed the first chapter! I'm very sorry I was so late getting this up, but I've had a couple of shows with my own band (sadly I'm not quite as badass as Silver) over the last couple of weeks, and a visit to England to check out a university. So my time to concentrate on this fic has been rather limited, but hopefully there shouldn't be as many delays in future.**

**Again, thank you for reading, and enjoy (hopefully).**

-x-x-

Black woke up.

Now that isn't to say that his eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, immediately alert, because that only happens to young children and/or people who have had far too much sugar (although, is there really much of a difference?) but nonetheless, Black woke up.

He gave himself some time to fully drift into consciousness, stretched, then stood up and walked over to the window of his room, sleepily stumbling over a discarded textbook on his way. Within moments, the window was flung open and Black had his hands cupped to his mouth, preparing for the Declaration once more.

"I'M GONNA TRAVEL THE WORLD ONE DAY, I'LL VISIT EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, JUST WATCH ME!"

There was a brief uproar from outside, as the echoes died against the thick canopy of trees that surrounded his house and the birds therein scattered in shock, then serenity gradually reinstated itself.

-x-x-

"Silver, did you actually get _any_ sleep last night?" Gold asked teasingly.

Silver glared at him. Gold had once more initiated his mighty quest against boredom, quietness and girls named after repeating polyatomic structures. Which is to say, he'd arrived at school.

"Anyway," Gold said, brushing his friend's discomfort aside, "I have some news for you." Silver looked about as interested as a man who'd been up all night could be, "No longer will I be the lazy one while you slave to the small hours of the morning over your textbooks, I'm doing something useful with my evenings… I'm getting a job!"

Whatever Silver had been expecting, that wasn't it, and the surprise showed on his face. As he opened his mouth to speak, Gold interrupted him, "No, I'm not becoming a prostitute. I wouldn't be so cruel as to deny poor girls the opportunity to sleep with me." Silver facepalmed, "Yesterday, after you and Black cruelly abandoned me, I realised that I needed to get double kick pedals for my drums, cause I'd always needed them but now I actually have a reason to get them," The frenzied excitement of the previous evening became overlayed in his voice as he spoke. "Mom said I had to pay for them myself, since I'm sixteen now, so I went and applied at that orphanage just down the road from where I live. They said they were really happy to have me as they're always short of staff!"

Silver nodded, silently indicating for his friend to continue, and so he did, "I've got my first shift this afternoon. I'm working Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and then whatever other days I wanna come in for extra work."

Silver nodded again, and Gold knew he wasn't going to get any more excitement out of his friend than that. As the 'conversation' (this particular one had been relatively two-sided for a morning conversation between Gold and Silver when he was tired) drew to a close, a voice came thundering from elsewhere in the school grounds, "I HAVE A BAND AND IT'S GONNA BE THE MOST AWESOME BAND EVER!"

"Too damn right!" Gold shouted, immediately marching off in the direction of Black's shouting, with Silver following along similarly to the way that a fish follows a tide: it doesn't really care, but it's easier than opposing it. "Hey, Black!" He called, once he'd battled through the crowd to reach his friend, "Did you give any of those albums a listen?"

Black, once again, turned around to the appealing sight (well, maybe if Black was female and his thought processes existed entirely in Gold's mind) of Gold walking towards him. "Only got a chance to listen to the first one, but it was awesome!" Black replied, showing what Silver considered to be far too much excitement for a Tuesday morning, and this was coming from someone who was close friends with Gold. "I was just telling White about how epic our little practice thing was yesterday!"

"I think she might have got the point by now," Cheren interjected, fixing his glasses slightly, "I believe you used the word 'epic' five times, the word 'awesome' six times, and the phrase 'holy shi-'"

"We get the idea!" Gold interrupted, "Which album?" He asked of Black, the infectious excitement building in his voice.

"The first one, Iron Maiden I think it was? All pretty good, but there was one song at the very end, Hallowed I think, which I really loved."

At this point Silver walked forward, put his hand on Black's shoulder and said, "Black, this is going to be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship."

Gold laughed, "As long as we let Silver do that song, it means he won't object too much to anything else we pick, so it's a good idea."

The other members of the group had since resumed their own conversation, as Black had quite evidently become enraptured in the band discussion. "So I've been planning to organise some sort of school festival thing," White was saying, "Have several different performances from school members. A drama performance, a choir performance and so on. I think if I put some proper time and effort into organising it, I could make it turn out pretty well. Not like some embarrassing school fair where everyone involved looks bored, but one where all of the acts have time to make their part interesting and unique."

Bianca smiled, "That's a great idea! You've always been good at organising things." She pointedly avoided the Primary School Fair Fiasco, which White considered to be the worst event of her life and a textbook example of why one very keen ten year old organiser and a whole lot of uninterested teachers and pupils resulted in a very average Primary School Fair. She continued with a smile, "The drama department in this school is really good so I'm sure they can do something great!"

"Which is to say," Cheren added, "Anything but Romeo and Juliet."

White rolled her eyes, "I said interesting, not cliché. There's enough talent in this school to make a really good festival, we just need to use it all, and make sure everything's unique and great. I've already spoken to Wallace about the drama involvement, he says it's a great idea, and apparently he's been brainstorming ideas with Blue Aoi about what they can do."

"Is it just me who's slightly worried about her having anything to do with this?" Cheren asked with a slightly facetious tone. "One-woman show, much?"

White was about to respond, but stopped when she noticed a sudden silence from the other half of the group. Silver was glaring at Cheren with a force that would have reduced empires to ashes. "My sister," he began, in a voice like an avenging god, "Is not just the best actress in this school, but her Drama performances in both her fifth _and_ sixth years won the national awards for performance at GCSE and AS level. So if anything involving her becomes a '_one-woman show,_' it will be better for it." He paused, before adding, in a more mocking tone, "Not that we could have expected you to actually know anything about something you criticise."

Cheren looked shocked and White shouted, "Silver!" But he'd already turned around to resume conversation with Gold. Black then committed the worst possible mistake. He chuckled, for a fraction of a second. In a moment of weakness that it didn't even occur to him to safeguard against, a small indication of mirth slipped out. He might as well have pressed the big red button marked 'North Korea'.

The reaction was instantaneous. Cheren's gaze instantly turned harsh and he asked, "I'm sorry Black, was something amusing you? A funny story you just happened to remember perhaps?"

Black looked momentarily confused, as if wondering why Cheren had spoken so harshly to him, then realisation quickly set in. "I didn't mean to laugh, it was just kinda funny that's all."

Cheren looked like a vein was about to pop in his head, "Oh, so your new friend being a complete dick to me is funny now is it?"

Black, to the astonishment of the few onlookers who had begun to take note of the argument, retained his confused look, and Gold took the opportunity to cut in. "Why are you shouting at Black anyway? What's he even done?"

Cheren was taken aback, and his mouth flapped as he struggled to think of an answer. Silver, ever the gentleman, filled the gap in conversation for him, "Presumably it's because of Black landing in the middle of his little group and he's just being a whiny little bi-"

"Silver, cut it out!" Gold interrupted his friend. Adding fuel to the impotently stuttering inferno that was Cheren seemed like a poor tactic.

Black re-entered the conversation, "Look Cheren, I'm sorry for laughing. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Whatever," Cheren replied, and turned to walk towards the front doors of the school.

White looked panic stricken, and stared after her retreating friend, as if she meant to follow him, but then looked back towards Black, who was looking something like a rabbit who had been going about his daily business in a field but had ended up face to face with a meteor for no adequately explained reason. However, Bianca was at hand to resolve the situation, "I'll go talk to him, you stay here, OK?" She said, with a worried smile forcibly plastered onto her face, before dashing after the now vanished Cheren.

White looked grateful, but her gaze hardened as she turned to Silver. "What the hell was that all about!" She near-shrieked.

"You don't insult my sister," he responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Still, there was no need for that!" White said, with a slightly quieter voice. Silver shrugged, and turned away from the conversation and towards the school, with Gold, for once, following him.

Black let out a long sigh, and White turned her attention back to him. There was a brief awkward silence, before White quietly asked, "You OK?"

Black sighed again. "Yeah, thanks. I don't even know what just happened there."

White shook her head, and let out a bitter laugh, "Neither do I."

There was another brief silence, then Black forced on a happier face and said, "I hear you're organising something with the school?" Then White's smile returned, and against such an insurmountable force, Black's smile was helpless but to follow.

-x-x-

Gold was a notoriously difficult person to keep down. And by extension, everybody around him would end up having their spirits lifted. Although this was mainly out of self-preservation, as being in a bad mood while a very obviously cheerful Gold rattled on about whatever it was he was rattling on about now was a sure-fire way to drive a person completely insane. As such, Silver, who was with Gold for most classes; and Black, who had tactfully decided to sit next to his newfound band-mates and away from his usual desk mates Cheren and Bianca during Maths; entered the lunch hall in reasonably warm moods. However, the good mood was by no means univ-"YOU CAN'T JUST CLAIM A SEAT, THIS ISN'T A FOREST WHERE YOU URINATE ON YOUR AREA TO CLAIM IT, YOU BARBARIAN!"-ersal.

"I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR YEARS WHY D'YOU WANNA SIT HERE NOW?"

Gold, never one to miss a public spectacle, was happily watching the arguing duo from the year below with a gleeful smile on his face; even as Clair, the psychotically strict teacher in charge of supervising the lunch hall, made her way over. Silver rolled his eyes, "That time of the day again?"

Black took his place behind the other two in the queue, and looked at the screaming pair, once again confused. "I don't suppose you'd care to explain why those two do that? Cause I've asked a couple of times and no one's given me a decent answer yet."

Silver looked disinterestedly at the younger kids, who were now being screamed at by Clair, "You do the honours, Gold."

"My pleasure," Gold said, lapsing into a horrible attempt at a wizened old storyteller voice. "The bickering pair you see before you are Ruby Furigana and Sapphire Birch. And yes, they're the teachers' kids," He answered unbidden, temporarily returning to his own voice, as Black had appeared poised to interrupt him. "Their parents are old friends. Four years ago, Ruby's family moved here from Johto because his dad had got a job teaching PE at this school. Upon their arrival, they invited Sapphire's family for dinner or something, catch-up with old friends and all that. Anyway, long story short, Ruby and Sapphire met each other at that dinner and invented the term 'hatred at first sight' at about the same time."

Black looked over once again, taking in their appearances. They were about the same height, although Ruby was made slightly taller by the white hat that adorned his head. Sapphire had her teeth clenched in a way that was almost feral, and her hands were slowly clenching and unclenching by her sides. Ruby, on the other hand, had a look about his face and demeanour that suggested he was horribly offended at even being in the same room as the girl in front of him. "It's kinda funny," he said, "Ruby looks pretty camp, and Sapphire looks aggressive as hell."

"Ah, now you see the reason for their hatred," Gold continued sagely, his storyteller voice worsening by the second. "Ruby is the most feminine man you will ever meet. He spends most of his time designing and sewing clothes for his little girly friends and his pets. Sapphire, on the other hand, is more masculine than a 6-pack of beer. She spends most of her time doing field research in the Viridian Forest. Her dad helps out at the lab in Pallet, you see."

Black nodded, and Silver re-entered the conversation, a happy smile of reminiscence on his face. "I'll never forget the time she kicked you in the balls." His eyes gained a misty sheen, "You couldn't stand for ten minutes."

Gold gave his friend a dirty look, "It was at a party-ish thing, I was slightly tipsy, and she is more than slightly female. Her reaction was completely unnecessary." He gave an indignant huff, while Silver and Black burst into laughter. "That said, I probably would have tried even if I was sober, cause _damn_ just look at those-"

"You really don't have any shame do you?" asked Blue, who had just skipped the entire queue to stand with the younger boys at the front of it.

Gold looked dramatically hurt once more, while Silver asked his sister, "Haven't you got a school council meeting?"

"Oh that," Blue responded with a nonchalant wave of her hand, "I'm sure they can wait."

Silver nodded with a small chuckle, "I can see the attraction of abusing Gold instead of getting to watch Green organise everything." He paused, "Although surely abusing Green would be a more worthy challenge?"

"He's boring, he never responds when you annoy him," said Blue, with a petulant pout. "Except to call me pesky, which is _hardly_ the kind of insult I consider a fitting indication of rage."

"Aww look he has a little pet name for her," Gold interrupted with a horribly overdone romantic voice. "Have you got one for him yet?"

"Because 'Super Serious Gal' is so much better," Blue responded with a sweet smile, and Gold's face turned bright red. "Anyway I should probably be off. There's been just enough time for Green to start getting annoyed but not enough for him to actually complain about it," and with a cheery wave, she was gone.

"Is she always like that?" Black asked, with a slightly worried look on his face, before quickly ordering his food from the dinner lady.

"Oh yes," said Gold, with a voice that spoke of the darkest terrors known to man. "Oh _yes_."

"I would seriously watch my wording if I were you," Silver said with a victorious smirk, "Or should we have a repeat of the first time we met?"

"What was so filthy about my hands anyway!" Gold asked, with his faux-injured look returning.

Silver rolled his eyes, and paid for his food, "Same thing that's filthy about your mind."

Gold grinned unapologetically, "So, everything?" And the others all laughed once more.

-x-x-

"OK I think we can start now," Green said, in a commanding tone. "Thank you to all of you who managed to turn up on time," He shot a glare Blue's way, she responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Before we have any new suggestions, has anyone actually managed to follow up on the idea of separate common rooms for sixth and seventh years?"

There was some brief silence, then White piped up, "I spoke to a couple of people in both years, they seemed to think it would be a fairly good idea. I was talking to Wallace about something else, but I mentioned it to him while I was at it, and he suggested we could see if any teachers had rooms that they didn't really need that could be 'sacrificed'." She paused, "Although he suggested we may have difficulty in getting them to give one up."

Green nodded, "Than you White, that's definitely a start. I've received similarly positive sentiments from students I've talked to, so I'll have a word with the Headmaster."

Silence descended like a veil. Green sighed, "Has anybody had any other ideas, or suggestions?"

More silence and awkward glances, although Blue had a smile on her face as if she found something about the whole affair incredibly amusing. Once again, White spoke up, "I was thinking about doing some sort of school festival or fair thing, where we'd have performances by the drama and music groups from the school, and artwork around the place and so on." There was a disturbing fervour to her voice and fire in her eyes, "I think if we put some serious planning into the organisation and into getting each group's part right, it could turn out really well." There was a pause, "And _not_ cliché."

Murmurs started appearing around the room, and the bored faces began to show interest. Blue, smiling sweetly as ever, chipped in, "I'm already discussing plans for the drama department with Wallace." She looked over at Green, with honey-coated death in her eyes, "I don't suppose you'd like to help us with some ideas Green? Maybe make a cameo somewhere?"

Green let out a deep sigh, "No, I think I'll be fine." He waved his hand dismissively, "Do what you want; I'm sure no one will have the patience or willpower to argue with you. Good idea though, White," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Blue bounced with glee in her seat. "So I'm allowed to do whatever I want with the drama production?"

Green realised his mistake far too late, and the look of cold realisation on his face would leave Blue smiling for days. "Under supervision and leadership from Wallace!" he shouted, hoping to avert the impending catastrophe.

Blue nodded rapidly, the Smile of Sugar-Coated Malevolence plastered across her face. "Of course! But Wallace is _so_ open to suggestion when it comes to his favourite pupil."

Green heaved a deep sigh, knowing that there was no longer anything he could do. "Fine, fine. You can be the Student Council Representative for the drama performance." He added with a murmur, "As if you wouldn't control it anyway."

Blue looked shocked and appalled, and some members of the council began to chuckle, before being silenced by a glare from Green, "I never _control_! Just… suggest in a very persuasive manner."

Amidst the laughter that had now broken out, Green, like a captain steering his vessel from certain doom, attempted to wrest the meeting back into his grasp. "I don't suppose we could all get back on topic?" Mid-way between rock and hard place, he paused, "What even _is_ the topic? Is anybody aside from White actually going to suggest anything?" The silence was deafening. Green sighed, "God, why did Crystal have to be off today? OK, time's up anyway, you can all go now."

The rest of the students filtered out, and Blue paused at the door, "Thank you for being such a great host Green!" said she, with a smile that Lesser Demons could take pointers from.

"Thanks?" Green responded, as if wondering where this was leading. Blue just flashed another sweet smile, and disappeared with a trademark cheery wave. Green let out a sigh longer than his patience, "Pesky girl."

-x-x-

"Thanks Mom!" Gold called; as he stepped out of the car and began the mighty journey across the fields of the orphanage's front lawn towards his next quest (Gold's internal monologue was more than slightly repetitive). Within a few minutes he had signed in, and was on his way towards the staffroom, where he would be introduced to his co-workers and be given his instructions for the day.

He was slightly early, so most of the kids hadn't yet returned from their various schools. The lights in the corridor had yet to be turned on, so Gold's path was lit by the overcast sun shining through the windows. He walked in eerie silence through brightly coloured, yet clearly old and peeling walls. There were several doors on each corridor, each with a name scrawled in marker on a little placard on the front. Some doors even had posters or pictures adorning them. On one corridor he passed a set of glass doors, affording him a view of a large communal room; with aged chairs and sofas and walls decorated with children's drawings and posters for events for teenagers. There was even a small kettle and a microwave over to one corner, along with various plates, cups and cutlery. A small smile spread across Gold's face. Despite the building itself being relatively decrepit, there was a sense of warmth to the atmosphere that made it homely. He chuckled at his thoughts, _'__kind of the point, isn't it?'_

He continued following the directions he'd received from the lady working at the front door office, and sure enough, he eventually reached a door marked 'STAFF ROOM'. With the small smile still on his face, he opened the door. He was immediately greeted by a smaller and less colourful version of the kids' common room. The walls and carpets were a simple brown and red, respectively, and little adorned the walls except two windows opposite the door and a noticeboard that was stuffed almost to full capacity with various papers. Another kettle and microwave rested to one side, and a couple of the eight or so inhabitants had cups of tea or coffee in their hands. All of his new co-workers were sitting in the same aged chairs from the junior room, and one glanced up at him from a newspaper bearing the headline 'POLICE SUSPECT TEAM ROCKET IN SERIES OF ARSON ATTACKS'. Most of them looked to be in their thirties or forties, although a couple were clearly getting towards retirement age.

Gold had eyes for none of this though. As he laid eyes on the last inhabitant of the room, he knew this was going to be the best job ever. She sat in the corner, and appeared to be some mixture of unwell, shocked, and blindly cursing whichever foul deity it was that'd had the indecency to inflict so much upon her. Before the man who had interviewed him, and who was now presumably his boss, could open his mouth to welcome him, he received the greatest welcome he could ever have hoped for:

"Oh God, not you!" screamed Crystal Suishou.

-x-x-

A buzzing came from Silver's forearm. He made a small flick with his arm, and the phone that had been resting in a pouch sewn into his shirt slid out into his hand. He then withdrew his hand from the pocket it had been resting in, making it appear as if he'd simply taken the phone from there, and answered the call. He didn't bother checking the number, only two people in the world knew this phone existed, and both had anti-tracking systems on their own phones similar to those on this one, which were the most sophisticated that one could reasonably afford. Caller ID was not likely to appear. "Yes?" he answered, continuing his steady walk. He listened intently for a few seconds, "Understood." He listened for a couple more seconds, then hung up the call. Immediately, he pressed an 11 digit code that didn't correlate to any phone number in existence, and put the phone to his ear. "Hey Silver, what's up?" came the sing-song voice of the answerer. "Hey Blue, meet me back at home, we've got another objective for this evening."

-x-x-

**Thank you all for reading!**

**Again, I'd like to apologise this took so long, but I now have a firm idea of how to link the whole thing together, so it should be much easier (therefore quicker) to write. Hopefully.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Thank you again to everyone who read the last chapter! And thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed! This chapter should hopefully see some development of some of the little Plot Seeds I sowed in the last chapter, while spreading a few more around liberally.**

**As always, if you feel something's off with the characterisation or other aspects, just click the little review button and let me know. It's much better for me to know that there was something wrong than for the flaw to fester there for the whole story. Which in turn makes everything better for you, the reader, so everybody wins!**

-x-x-

_Dear Crystal_,

Don't suppose you know the answer to 7b? Silver's refusing to help out his best friend. It's rather tragic.

_Gold_

_P.S._ How does dinner after work someday sound?

_Dear Idiot,_

Why are you sending me notes in class? Are you trying to get us detention? The answer's magnesia, although why you need me to work that out instead of just doing your homework is the question you _should_ be answering.

_Crystal_

_P.S. _I would rather die.

_Dear Super Serious Gal,_

Well you're the one replying. And nice try, but I'm not _that_ stupid. Shall I assume I'm not getting the answer from you any time soon?

_Super Fun Guy_

_P.S. _The _real_ question is why you're passing up such a fabulous opportunity.

Gold watched from a nearby desk as Crystal crumpled his note to the point of obliteration. '_Yep, definitely the end of that conversation._' He smirked slightly, yet another victory. Now for the real battle… the staunch opposition of question 7b.

-x-x-

"My pairing senses are tingling," Blue muttered to herself, as Black checked his phone for the third time in one minute. It was unseasonably warm weather in Viridian, and a Friday to boot, so the students were making the most of it. Blue had dragged Green out to enjoy the sun with her, and while his protests had been fierce, his heart hadn't really been in it. He glowered in the pathetic shade offered by a small tree that was rapidly losing its foliage, trying to think of a better insult than "pesky girl."

Gold was busy complaining about Crystal actually managing get him back for once, although as Silver pointed out, "It's not her fault you didn't know magnesia is MgO." A smirk appeared on his face, "And in case I haven't mentioned, that was the _right_ answer."

Before Gold could conceive a suitably witty comeback, which would have taken years, or even snap out the first comeback that dashed into his mind, as per his usual fare, Black checked his phone once more, and interrupted. "I'll be back in a sec, just off to show White where we are."

The moment he left, Blue leapt into action. "OK you two, I want details and I want them now."

Gold looked rather confused, while Silver, who was used to his sister's obsessions and was a kind enough brother to facilitate them, responded, "Well you know White from the council right? Black met her on his first day here and they got along pretty much instantly. He has a crush on her that even Gold noticed," Gold interjected a quick "Hey!" at that, but was ignored, "And I'm fairly sure she returns the favour."

Blue patted her brother on the back, bearing a wide grin, "You're the best brother ever you know that? Keep this up, and I'll let you make more friends in the future." Silver chuckled slightly, rolling his eyes, as Blue got to her feet, adding, "It's about time she got someone for me to pair her with."

"Should I even bother with my usual rant on how unfair it is for you to force people into relationships?" Green asked, breaking from his momentary reverie.

Blue turned to look at him, stood for a second in thought, as if preparing a mighty response, then stuck her tongue out. Green rolled his eyes and Blue stayed long enough to laugh at his reaction before she merrily ran off to play with her latest toy. Without another word, Green stood up and walked over to the playing fields that the group was situated at the edge of. A casual football game was underway, and Green announced both his presence and his allegiance (as if there had ever been any doubt to which side he would choose) with a massive sliding tackle on Red. As the two climbed back to their feet, rival locked eyes with rival, and for the thousandth time, the unspoken challenge was accepted.

Gold idly watched the football game with little real interest, and soon took to scanning his eyes around the grounds. The main school building was built against a slope, and the remainder of the hill was simply left as empty grass. It was there Gold rested, situated at the bottom of the hill by the corner of the football pitch. The pitch was surrounded on all sides by a thick line of trees, and you could venture through the canopy to the banks of the River Viridian if you were so inclined, although the staff rather frowned on that. Only half of the pitch was being used for the game, as there weren't that many playing, and other groups, similarly minded to theirs, were camped out on the free space.

Gold noticed a few people that he knew on his slow gaze across the fields, but had neither the energy nor inclination to go and join them. His eyes then alighted on a strange sight. Sapphire had taken a break from the football to eat her lunch, and sat on the far side of the pitch. Ruby was standing talking to her, but his body language, from what Gold could see, didn't look too aggressive. It was almost as if they were just having a chat. He chuckled to himself; there was no way that would last long. He was interrupted from his thoughts by Silver's dark mutterings, "Down come the locusts once more."

Gold turned to follow Silver's gaze, and immediately realised firstly; that Silver had noticed the same pair that he had, and secondly; the relative serenity that surrounded the two would be utterly shattered momentarily. Silver got to his feet, and began walking along the edge of the pitch. Gold stood up and looked questioningly at him, and Silver explained, "My good deed for the decade." He turned to look at the two younger students, "Anyway, it's her birthday. She can consider this her present."

Gold would have laughed if not for the deadly seriousness of the situation, and quickly caught up to his friend. The duo had now aligned on a path that would intersect with those who Silver had spotted right as they encountered Ruby and Sapphire. The walk lasted a minute or so, and Gold noticed a small knot forming in his stomach. This wasn't going to be pretty. "Good afternoon, Courtney," Silver began in an icy voice, "Wonderful day is it not?"

Courtney and a lone representative of her usual entourage, '_The girl with the horribly dyed pink hair,_' as Gold mentally described her, turned to look at the newcomer. "Silver," Courtney drawled in a voice layered with contemptuous arrogance, "What drags you here out of your little corner?"

Ruby and Sapphire turned at the sound of Courtney's voice, and while Ruby appeared largely indifferent to the arrival of his friend, Sapphire glared at the older girl with utter hatred. "Just coming to wish my good friend a happy birthday," Silver said, with the same icy delivery. He turned to Sapphire, his voice suddenly ridiculously cheerful, "Happy birthday Sapphire!"

Sapphire realised what Silver was up to. She could almost hear his voice telling her "_Do__n't respond to them_." She grinned and replied with similar excitement, "Thanks Silver!"

The girl with the bright pink hair chose that moment to make her entrance, "Didn't even know she had any friends."

Sapphire bristled visibly, while Silver rolled his eyes. "Oh come on you can do better than that. If you're going to enter a battle of wits, at least make sure you're armed before you open fire."

Sapphire giggled, and the pink-haired girl stared blankly at him for a moment, before looking offended. "It's always funny to see how long it takes for Whitney to realise she's been insulted," Gold commentated, as if from afar.

Courtney ignored the battle at hand, and sauntered towards Ruby and Sapphire, popping some bubblegum as she strode. "Wasn't aware you associated with people like her, Ruby."

Ruby looked nonchalant, but before he could reply Sapphire stood and hissed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think Courtney's just jealous because Ruby already spent some time with people like _her_ earlier. On the lavatory presumably," Silver spoke, while walking towards the two juniors.

Courtney chuckled, "Charming as ever." She turned back to the white-capped boy, "Any particular reason you're down here chatting to the psycho?"

Ruby replied calmly, "No real reason. Just happened to walk by her and we started to chat for a second."

"What!" Sapphire screamed at him, initiating their time honoured ritual once more, "That's a lie and you know it!"

The two began trading insults and Courtney watched with venomous glee. "At least I'm not eating my dinner off the grass!" Ruby shouted, in response to another insult that had been forgotten as it was spoken.

"At least I don't lie about talking to someone because my _girlfriend_ showed up," Sapphire responded, emphasising the word 'girlfriend' with bitter sarcasm.

"At least I can _read_!"

If this were a movie, there would have been instantaneous stunned silence. As it was, there was silence, save for the sound of a couple of hundred other students who were on the same pitch. Sapphire's face tore itself quickly from shock to utter fury and she roared, "I'm _dyslexic_ you _BASTARD_!"

There was another second of silence from the group, before Sapphire bolted towards the nearby canopy of trees, her lunch left forgotten on the ground.

Before Ruby could say a word, or Whitney and Courtney could offer a derivative response, Gold stepped in. "Dude," he said, looking at Ruby, "_Way _too far."

Ruby looked ashamed, and that was the first time Gold or Silver had ever seen him looking so about anything other than being in the presence of somebody with a clashing outfit. Without taking so much as a glance at any of the others in the group, he slowly walked towards the trees

Courtney rolled her eyes, letting out a derisive snort. And to Ruby's credit, he didn't show a single sign of reaction.

-x-x-

"Bastards!" Sapphire screamed, lashing her foot out against a tree stump. She'd preceded the word with several other 'comments', but there's a limit to how many expletives one can use before they lose all meaning outside of therapeutic fury. "Happy birthday to me," she mumbled as she slowly slid to the ground with a crunch against the autumn leaves, her shoulders shaking with rage as she stared out over the murky waters of the River Viridian. It took her a moment to even become aware of the presence that had seated itself beside to her.

An older girl sat upon the bank next to her. In actuality, Sapphire could only tell she was her senior because she vaguely recognised her as one of the older students, and because she wore the alternatively coloured ties, green, instead of red, that the two upper years wore. In terms of appearance, the girl looked close to her own age, or perhaps even younger. Upon sitting down, she had cast out a fishing line, and her light blonde ponytail swished as her rod and arm sliced as one through the air. Sapphire watched as she placed the rod upon a small stand that held it in place, and withdrew a sketchbook and pencil from the small bag she'd placed beside her, angling the page she had begun to draw on so Sapphire couldn't see it. Sapphire couldn't possibly think of anything that could have made the scene stranger.

They sat in silence together for a while. "Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice was serene and welcoming, but the suddenness of her question almost made Sapphire jump. Sapphire stared at the blonde girl, only able to see the top half of her face gazing past her sketchbook, her previous rage becoming rapidly overtaken by confusion.

Sapphire shrugged in her mind. Couldn't hurt to vent, could it? "Well it's just…" Sapphire floundered while trying to explain herself, before recapturing her lost rage and shouting "I just hate them all so much!"

"No you don't," the girl said without missing a beat in her sketching, with a calm tone that spoke worlds of knowledge about this wildchild who she'd never even met.

"Wha?" Sapphire looked dumbfounded.

"Nobody hates anyone," said the older girl, her voice resonating with the quiet smile that delivered it.

"But they all hate me," Sapphire responded with confusion, as if she were questioning her own statement instead.

"No they don't," she said once again, smiling all the while. "Maybe they don't like you. Maybe they're mean to you and call you names and make you feel bad, but they don't hate you. Hate is horrible. Hate is destruction and anyone who hates anyone else wants that person destroyed." The blonde girl lowered her sketchbook, then reached out her hand and touched Sapphire lightly on the shoulder, "Nobody really feels that way about another person."

Sapphire reached up slowly and rested her fingers against the hand that was gently holding her shoulder. "You're Yellow aren't you? Red's friend?" The other girl nodded, still bearing that soft smile. Sapphire returned a smile that she didn't let anybody see very often. It was a grateful, unguarded smile that spoke volumes of the bitterness and gratitude she felt. "Thank you," she almost whispered.

"You're very welcome," said Yellow, and withdrew her hand from Sapphire's shoulder, taking up her sketchbook once more. They bathed in peaceful serenity by the river, the only sounds being the flowing of the water and the scratching of Yellow's pencil as she drew.

It was a blanket of calmness, rather than anger, that this time masked Sapphire's senses from detecting the newcomer. The first she knew of the latest visitor was when their footsteps drew close to her, and a gloved hand placed her lunch upon the grass by her side. She turned sharply, and for the second time that day, her face became a picture of shock, "What are you doing here?" She exclaimed, shattering the still air.

Ruby shrugged, "Bringing you your lunch." His earlier appearance of discontent that Sapphire had made herself absent for had been replaced by a neutral visage, his 'default' as such, unless of course he had encountered something '_Beautiful!_'

"Thanks," Sapphire mumbled, retrieving her half-eaten lettuce sandwich from its tin foil shell.

Unbidden, Ruby seated himself by her other side, and Sapphire made no effort to hide her discomfort. "I didn't know you were dyslexic," Ruby said, in a tone that was almost… apologetic? Sapphire could never be sure with him. "Is anybody helping you learn how to read?"

Sapphire nodded slowly, a carefully guarded look upon her face that was the polar opposite to her appearance when talking to Yellow, who had returned to unobtrusively concentrating on her drawing. "You know my English teacher, Winona?" Sapphire asked, and Ruby nodded, "She's helping me, but it's not going very well."

"Well how often do you try reading and writing?" Ruby questioned, and Sapphire screamed within her mind, "_Why does he care all of a sudden?_"

"Only for schoolwork, and I get my Dad to help me with most of that at home," She replied, mild confusion in her voice as she wondered what he was getting at.

"Well that's your problem!" Ruby exclaimed, her exuberant personality coming to the fore once again, "You'll never get any better at something if you only do it when you have to!"

Sapphire stared at him, looking utterly perplexed, and Yellow chuckled slightly at the boy's flashy and exaggerated gestures. "I mean it's not like you started swinging from the trees the first time you walked into a forest right?"

"Hey!" Sapphire shouted, glaring at her nemesis and mentally preparing for yet another battle.

Ruby raised his hands in front of his chest, palms out: a peaceful gesture, "I wasn't trying to be rude! I just meant that you had to practice, right? Even if you're good at something, you have to practice. It's the same with something you're bad at!"

Sapphire toned down her glare, but maintained a cautious appearance, "Yeah I guess, but I hate reading and writing! I don't wanna just read books all the time to practice!"

Ruby paused for a moment before clicking his fingers and shouting, "I know! You could keep a diary!"

His excited face was met by a cold stare, "I am not writing a sissy, girly diary, Prissy Boy." Sapphire responded slowly and angrily.

"But why not? It makes perfect sense," Ruby explained, returning once again to the expansive movements. "You can practice writing something, but you're the only person who'll be reading it, so you don't have to be perfect like you do with school work, you just write for yourself!"

"No!" Sapphire shouted at him, "Do I look like the kind of wimpy girl who writes a diary to you?"

Ruby looked aghast at her response, and she turned her back on him, only to be immediately confronted with the image of peacefulness that was Yellow sketching. She sighed, her anger dissipating at the sight, and turned back to Ruby. "All right, you have a point."

Ruby's face lit up with glee, "Really? You'll do it?"

"I don't know why you're so excited, it's not like I'm writing it for _you_," Sapphire responded with a huff.

"Just glad I could help out, that's all, happy birthday!" Ruby said with a cheeky grin. At that moment, the bell rang; faint although it was from all the way out by the river. "Ack! I've got Drama now! I can't be late for Master's class!" Ruby exclaimed, and quickly dashed back through the trees in a flurry of leaves, leaving an utterly bewildered Sapphire in his wake.

Sapphire turned back to Yellow, who was still peacefully sketching, "Suppose I'd better go too." There was another moment of silence, as Yellow raised her head to look at the younger girl. "Thanks," Sapphire muttered with an embarrassed expression, as if she was ashamed to have revealed her weakness in front of another person.

"Thank you for keeping me company," Yellow responded with a much larger smile, "Goodbye, Sapphire. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

"I hope so!" Sapphire replied, a smile that mirrored Yellow's growing on her own face, before she turned and headed back through the trees.

Yellow sighed contentedly as she returned once again to solitude, lightly shading the finishing touches to her drawing: A young boy and girl, seated by a river against a setting sun, carefully detailed in black and white. Moments later, the fishing rod sprang into life, and a small trout landed in Yellow's tender, waiting hand. She laughed as she placed it back into the water.

-x-x-

"Black," Gold began, "You almost killed the camera."

Silver chuckled, and Black grinned, "I have no regrets."

"Damn right you shouldn't!" Gold exclaimed, drawing his eyes away from the screen at the camera's rear, "That was the best scream ever! How'd you even get your voice to _go_ that high?"

Black shrugged, a proud smile slowly dawning on his face, "Heat of the moment?"

Gold laughed, then quickly dug his phone out of his pocket. He tapped around on the touchscreen for a few seconds, before placing it against his ear. "Hey Sidney, what's up?"

Silver and Black watched on with amusement as Gold excitedly exchanged pleasantries with the voice on the other end of the line before getting to the point, "Are you still looking for a support band for that Halloween gig?"

At that precise moment, Black's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly checked it.

_White:_

_Sure, sounds fun! I'll invite Bianca. When should we come round?_

Black grinned widely, and began to type his reply as Gold continued, "Great! Silver and I have started a band with a guy from school, we could take the spot!"

_Black:_

_Great! I'd say come at about 2 maybe? Try and pick a better movie this time :P_

"Worry not, my dear friend," said Gold with extravagance, and the complimentary sweep of the arm evident in his voice, "I'll send you a video now. Then you'll see!"

_White:_

_Oh shush you :P I'll bring a couple of DVDs :)_

At the precise moment Gold hung up his phone, Silver felt the fingertips of cosmic balance manifesting itself as a buzz from his own pocket. "Yes, Blue?"

"Silver sweetie," came the voice from the other side, "You alright to look after yourself this evening?"

Silver stifled the deep sigh that he heaved mentally, "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well I'm spending the evening in Pallet, won't be back for a while."

"You do realise that I'll be morally obliged to spend this time with Gold, right? You understand what you've got me into?" Wry amusement coated his voice.

"Oh shush Silver," Blue replied with a giggle.

"Why Pallet, anyway?" he asked, as Gold feigned great offense to his previous comment.

"Because everything's free there tonight!"

"You mean Green's coming with you?" An amused smile alighted itself upon his features.

"Of course!" She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Does he know he's coming with you?"

"That would spoil the fun!"

Silver rolled his eyes, "Fine, enjoy your date. Don't be home too late," he spoke with a mock-condescending tone.

Black stared at the redhead with fear as he put the cheap phone back into his pocket, before turning to Gold. "You lied. They're _both_ always like that!"

Gold shuddered, "You're learning." He quickly regained his composure, "OK, any songs we wanna go over again?"

Silver shrugged, and Black said, "Well I wouldn't mind trying-" He was interrupted by the basement door opening and a loud, friendly voice enquiring, "Why did nobody tell me I had a rock band in my basement?"

"Dad!" Gold shouted, his face glowing with joy. He dropped his drumsticks and rushed to his father, wrapping him in a tight embrace, "You're home!"

Gold's father was a tall and averagely built man with a warm and inviting face that belied the mischievous glint in his eyes. He ruffled his son's hair with an affectionate smile, "We've got a quiet weekend so my boss gave me some time off. I wanted to surprise you."

Gold turned to Silver, who'd already begun packing his equipment away, with a questioning glance. Silver smirked, "I've changed my mind, I'm going home this evening." For the briefest of moments, he smiled genuinely, "Enjoy your weekend." He turned to Gold's father, "Pleasure to meet you, as always Mr Kane."

Gold smiled gratefully at his friend, and his father responded, "Pleasure's all mine Silver." He turned to Black, "Who's the new guy?" he asked of Gold.

"Black Kuroi, sir," Black responded, offering his hand.

Gold's father shook it with a firm grip, "Nice to meet you! I'm Gold's father, as you can probably tell." He turned back to his son, "How does a game of pool sound?"

Gold grinned viciously, "I've got even better, I'll beat you this time!"

"Wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," his father responded with equal vigour. "Walk your friends out first," he said, noticing that Silver and Black had already finished packing up.

Minutes later, Gold had already dashed back inside; trash-talking his father over their imminent pool game all the while, and Black and Silver had started down the driveway. "Don't mean to sound rude, but what was that all about?" Black asked his bandmate.

"Gold's father is one of the Silph Corporation's top computing experts, hence the massive house," he said, raising his arm to indicate the luxurious driveway they were walking along, "but the headquarters are in Saffron, so he can't get home that often."

Black nodded, "I've never seen Gold so excited, not even about the band." His face grew mirthful, "Or the opportunity of annoying Crystal."

Silver chuckled darkly, "It's all rather sickeningly sweet, isn't it?" He spoke with a sarcastic tone, but Black would have sworn he almost saw a trace of bitterness in his friend's eyes.

-x-x-

As Green turned off the tap water in the bathroom, he froze. Something was amiss. He quickly dried his hands, and stepped into the hallway of his home. "_Is that the… _TV_?_" he thought, perplexed, moving stealthily towards the living room where he'd been studying. As he drew closer, he heard the faint _clink_ of a spoon against china, and his confusion grew. He stopped outside the living room door, mentally preparing himself for whatever could be waiting on the other side, and flung the door open, assuming the sternest Junior Coach/Vice-Captain voice he could manage, "Alright! Who's there… Oh God no."

"Hi Green!" Blue called over the sound of the TV, which was currently turned up way too loud and playing a random chick-flick Green vaguely remembered Daisy watching once. She dipped a spoon into the bowl of ice cream she held in front of her chest, no doubt pilfered from his own kitchen, and he couldn't help but notice the rather… er… _revealing_ black dress she had chosen to wear.

He heaved a deep sigh, "Why… Just… Why have you broken into my house in the middle of the evening?"

"I didn't break in," Blue responded with a mocking tone, "The front door was unlocked." She finished the last of her ice cream and stood up, running over to him like an excited child. "I wanted to go out this evening, and who better to accompany me than my good friend Green?" She finished with an inviting tone.

"Absolutely not," Green responded coldly, "I have studying to do." Blue looked completely crestfallen at his statement, "Besides, Grandpa won't be back for at least an hour, so I have to look after the house."

"Well it's not like I'm in any hurry!" Blue responded, leaping back onto the couch (Green tried desperately not to notice the way her dress flew everywhere when she did that), and turning her attention back to the movie.

"I don't think you get the point," Green responded with exasperation. "I'm studying. Go away."

Blue turned to him with tears in her eyes, "But Green, I came out here 'specially to see you. I wanted to surprise you and everything."

"_Come on Green. You know she__'s faking it. You can't let her win this ti-_" Blue blubbed into her hands, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Alright fine! You can stay for a while."

Blue's appearance whiplashed instantly, "Thanks Green!" She shuffled over on the couch, patting the space next to her, "Come on, this film's great!"

Green sighed once again, before reluctantly sitting down next to her. "Where's Daisy anyway?" Blue asked, "You should have told her Devil Wears Prada was on."

Green growled, "How the hell would I know it was on? Besides, she's out with that stupid assistant from the lab tonight."

Blue gasped in wonder, "You didn't tell me she was on a date! We _have_ to go out now!" She jumped to her feet and turned off the film. "Go get changed into something more suitable, I have a pairing to help!"

"I told you we can't leave 'til Gramps gets back!" Green shouted, clearly losing his patience.

Blue grabbed the front of his shirt, tears welling up in her eyes again as she drew herself closer to him. "Please Green? For me? Just leave a note on the door. I'm sure anyone knows to find your Grandpa at the Lab anyway, right?"

Green tried in vain to avert his eyes from the sobbing girl in front of him, before snapping, "Fine! Whatever you want!" He turned towards his room and marched off, "Just don't complain about my outfit like you did the last ten times."

Blue chased after him and hugged him tightly from behind, "Thanks so much Green!"

"Pesky girl."

-x-x-

**Whoa the Ruby and Sapphire scene turned out way longer than I expected it to be. It'****s almost half the chapter o_o**** Also Sapphire's birthday is September 20****th****, so it would be about this time (it's even on a Friday this year!)**

**Thanks everybody for reading!**


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